Page 7 of Royal
That announcement has every single one of the girls in the house sitting up and paying way more attention than they have to any other topic. My eyes widen as I glance around the room at the excitement growing exponentially, threatening to overshadow everything else discussed earlier. Seems like whatever this fight night thing is must be a pretty big fucking deal.
“Freya, want to give me a hand?”
Obviously understanding what Cassie needs from her, my big sister crosses over to where an ornate box sits on a glass-top table in front of one of the many couches the sisters of TZE are perched upon. She scoops it up, then returns to Cassie’s side with an eager grin, holding it before her. With an overdone flourish, which I’m beginning to recognize as typical of Freya, she lifts the hinged lid.
Squeals break out from all around me, there’s a smattering of enthusiastic clapping, then girls who are sitting close enough, grab each other’s hands for support. Some girl behind me—Jennifer, maybe? I think I recognize her voice—starts chanting under her breath, “Oh my god, oh please, oh god, please let it be me.”
I look around in wide-eyed amazement, taking in the fact that these girls are going completely apeshit over the chance for this opportunity—and I don’t even know what the hell it entails. Cage girl. The term is beginning to sound a bit freaky to me. Blowing out a careful breath, I bring my gaze back to Cassie and Freya who are drawing out the moment to near-excruciating levels. Finally, our president pulls a solitary slip of folded pink paper from the box.
“Drumroll, please!” She unfolds the paper and looks down at the name. One second goes by, then another. Blinking rapidly as her forehead pinches, she glances up, then scratches the side of her head with her free hand. “Um.”
It’s obvious from the way she’s working her jaw to the side that she’s struggling with how to go about revealing the name of the winner to the sisterhood. She chuckles a bit before letting us in on the joke. “Our lucky cage girl for this first fight is Echo.” Her eyes lock with mine as her words fall flat on the floor in front of her.
The room goes dead silent for a count of five frantic, stomach-churning beats of my heart.
Oh, shit. It’s me.I’mthe joke.
Frozen in place, all the voices seem like they’re reflected sound waves, as if they’re talking into a tunnel, so I’m literally hearing an echo—the same things over and over again.What? Why her? How?I blink hard as their upset washes over me.
“Um, that’s weird.” I swallow as my eyes find the speaker’s. I think her name is Allie. That’s followed quickly by a whispered, “What the hell?” from an unknown source.
Another girl snorts with laughter. “I didn’t see that coming, but this is a surefire way to liven up the house meeting.”
From the other side of the patio, Christine lets out a belly laugh. “If you mean spark some controversy and add a dash of good old-fashioned jealousy, then yeah. Totally.”
My heart is beating so loudly that it’s drowning out half of what’s being said, but from the expressions on these girls’ faces, I’m unsure what’s going to happen next. A couple of them, like Samantha and a sweet girl with glasses—Shani, I think her name is—seem genuinely happy for me. But the rest? I’ve made my way onto their shit list through no real fault or doing of my own.
Confusion flows through me, sticky and uncomfortable like the midmorning air, and my hand raises from my side of its own volition.
Cassie meets my shell-shocked gaze and gestures to me, though it’s clear it pains her to drag this out. “Did you have a question, Echo?”
Before I can say a word, there’s a snort from my right. “If she doesn’t, I sure do. How is her name even in the box?” I turn my head to see a dark-haired girl with beautiful dark eyes glittering angrily at me.
Freya crosses her arms over her chest and gives a quick shake of her head. “Ireland, you heard me earlier, I know you did. I said she’s one of us now.” Her gaze flicks to mine, and she gives me a half smile. If I had to guess, she’s not terribly happy about the entire situation that’s been dropped into her lap, seeing as how she’s responsible for me. And she may even be the slightest bit jealous herself but is still unwilling to allow these other chicks to interfere with what’s already been decided.
“Some of us have been here for multiple years and have never had our names drawn.” Ireland rises to her feet and flings her arm in my general direction, as if she doesn’t even care to look at me. “She walks in and hasn’t even technically pledged yet”—her brows draw sharply together—“and she gets to attend one of the most coveted events of the year? Hang out with some of the SIN boys? It’s bullshit.”
“They’re so fucking hot,” Jennifer groans out under her breath before slapping a hand over her mouth.
“Ireland’s right.” The blonde next to her with the super-long hair twists her lips, staring at me blankly. “Sorry, girl. We know you’re new and all, but this issonot fair.”
“Her name was in the box. It was drawn. Those are the rules.” Cassie’s eyes flash. “That’s the end of it. It’s not up for discussion.”
Ireland rolls her eyes and takes her seat again, but as she does, she nods toward me, a ruthless glint in her eyes. “What’s up with your banged-up knees?”
Shit.I suck in a breath, and my eyes fix on hers. Freya’s dress must have inched up over my knees, putting my scraped-up knees on display. Shocked giggles fill the air. “Whoa. Somebody did their dirty work last night.” That statement sets off another round of laughter as my face burns with embarrassment. That’s not what fucking happened but telling them that the boy I once knew scared the shit out of me at the bonfire isn’t an option at the moment. They don’t get to know my business. I don’t know them, and they sure as hell don’t know me.
Savannah removes her hand from her mouth long enough to ask, “You just got to KU. Who are you already getting on your knees for, girlfriend?”
A voice with a heavy Southern drawl spills out, “Savannah! Oh my god, you didn’t just ask her that.”
I’m too mortified to meet the eyes of whoever is actually supporting me. Just… wow. These bitches have no idea who they are dealing with, but I’m positive this isn’t the time to let my inner warrior out. Even so, my lips part, indignation swarming through me like a cloud of angry bees, and my jaw clenches hard in an effort to contain all the venom I’d like to spit right about now.
I’m on the verge of unleashing when Cassie slices her hand through the air. “We’re done here. There’s a Zeta Gamma party tonight, which is a rush event. Your attendance isn’t mandatory, but I’d appreciate it if you made TZE look good by stopping by. Now, everyone except Freya and Echo, back inside please. A few of you should do some thinking about what it means to be part of the TZE sisterhood because this sort of catty behavior isn’t going to fly with me in charge. I will kick your asses out so fast your sweet cheeks will skid across the pavement.” From the steam that practically pours from her ears, I have to wonder which cheeks she’s referring to, becausedamn.She’spissed.
We wait while the disgruntled sisterhood files into the house. Savannah shoots me one last dirty look over her shoulder as she and Ireland walk side by side. Rolling her eyes, she leans close to Ireland’s ear and with a hiss that I can hear plainly, she says, “Should’ve been you or me. We’ve been waiting for-fucking-ever.”
Ireland doesn’t even bother to hide that they’re talking about me. In fact, she all-out glares in my direction as she speaks in a clipped tone to her friend. “I know. Just once, I wanna show my tits off to those guys. See what happens afterward.”
